Jarman’s Gap Retention Pond

I’d heard about this and driven/ridden my bike by the site of the soon-to-come retention pond but haven’t yet taken photos.

Happily, I received this email from a reader today:

I wanted to bring to your attention a detention pond that VDOT has planned along Jarmans Gap Road. My hope is that you could post a story on Real Crozet to get the community at large involved. I have been trying to convince VDOT that this plan is a ridiculous solution to the storm water problem on Jarmans Gap but so far I haven’t gotten very far. It is my understanding that the developer for Old Trail also tried working with VDOT on an alternate plan to no avail.

I have a meeting with Ann Mallek on Thursday at the site to try and get the BOS on my side but the honest truth is the Western Bypass is occupying most of their time these days.

The plan, as I understand it; there is a large detention pond planned for the green space at the entrance to Old Trail (where the sign used to be). This detention pond will be filled from the bottom using the curb and gutters along Jarmans Gap. This water will then be drained through a controlled release into the storm water drains that run through Old Trail. This “pond” will be 10 feet deep and surrounded by chain link fencing that is 6 feet tall. There is landscaping in the form of trees and shrubs only only the South side (which is the side closest to the home on Old Trail Drive that it will sit beside). There are small plantings planned for the North side along Jarmans Gap. The other 2 sides will remain bare. Forgetting the fact that the fencing planned is hideous, I find the entire project offensive. VDOT has planned this as if it were way out in the country and wouldn’t be affecting anyone.  This is a main corridor in Crozet and I think this will affect everyone! I can think of no other development/neighborhood in Albemarle County, or the City of Charlottesville for that matter, that has such an eye sore at it’s front door.

When I first discovered this plan, the VDOT employee that I spoke with said in no uncertain terms that it WOULD be a mosquito pit. When I asked him if he would want to live next to something like that he said “absolutely not”.

This is from Justin Beights, Old Trail’s Developer responding to my inquiry several weeks ago:

Dear Neighbors,

Many of you have contacted us regarding the work on Jarmans Gap Road. As you know, this is a VDOT project over which we have little control. However, please know that we have been attempting to work with VDOT for nearly two years to keep this work from negatively affecting our homeowners. Unfortunately, such efforts have met with resistance on the part of the transportation department.

Currently, the work at the intersection of Old Trail Drive and Jarmans Gap Road involves the creation of a sediment basin to collect run-off from the construction site. This is a typical environmental requirement of any construction that involves moving dirt (we have several in Old Trail Village, including the pond behind the town homes on West End Drive). Ideally, VDOT’s stormwater management would tie into the existing structures and systems in Old Trail Village. We have offered to work with VDOT engineers to create just such a solution, but they have not been open to this overture. Options for VDOT other than the collection basin at the intersection (Carriage Park entrance) would be to convert the permanent structure to a bio-filter or piping the runoff to one of our existing ponds. Neither of these options is attractive to VDOT because that would incur greater expense than the retention pond they’re digging now.

At this point, we are trying to convince VDOT that the sediment collection basin should be temporary in nature, and that a more attractive, beneficial solution should be conceived. Feedback from homeowners in the area should be directed to the VDOT, as it is a state organization responsible to the taxpayers. Regardless of your avenue for expression, please know that you have our support to reduce any negative impact on you and your quality of life here in Old Trail Village and Crozet.

Sincerely,
Justin Beights
President
Beights Corporation

Further update to include pictures and maps:


View Larger Map Continue reading “Jarman’s Gap Retention Pond”

Walk to School Meeting this Thursday – are you Going?

The Walk to School portion has been rescheduled due to lack of participation.

Crozet Community Advisory Council Meeting – Walking & Biking to School meeting to try to get community buy-in. This is the sort of meeting that the community needs to, if it truly believes in connectivity and walking/biking to school, get behind. If the buy-in/interest isn’t expressed, we will have the continued status quo – as in – nothing happening.

“Please join us at the Crozet Community Advisory Council (CCAC) meeting (Thursday, April 21st at 7:00PM). The meeting will be dedicated to the topic of walking and biking to the local schools. Representation from each of the schools and PTOs will make this a much more lively and effective discussion. Thank you for making time in your busy schedules to discuss this important topic.

Location: The Meadows Community Center, 5800 Meadows Drive (off of 240) in Crozet”

Update: There is a meeting after all.

Continue reading “Walk to School Meeting this Thursday – are you Going?”

If Traffic at Old Trail & WAHS is Bad Now …

What’s it going to look like when there are 2200 homes rather than 250?

Traffic on Old Trail Drive at 8:50 am

This is the traffic nearly every morning during school drop-off time.

I wonder if any kids from Old Trail will ever walk to school.

Update:

From an offline commenter:

Why do you assume the problem is Old Trail KIDS??   Tell ALL of the WAHS parents to use the buses we tax payers pay for and quit using Old Trail Drive as a short cut to drop their kids off. Take a look at the bus stops in Old Trail and count the number of students going to all three schools by bus.
 

The students living in Old Trail will walk to all of the schools after the county gets off of it’s arses and puts in the promised walkways up to 250 and and down 250 for access to all schools as promised.

Update #2: The offline commenter raised a very valid point; I called and asked if I could use the comment in the post and we had a good conversation about the post, traffic, bureaucracy and other such matters. The point I wanted to convey is that this is not an Old Trail (which is a great place to live) issue, it’s a Crozet issue. I’d bet that at least 60% of the traffic in that photo aren’t from Old Trail but are from Crozet.

We’re in this – this traffic and lack of infrastructure and lack of common sense culture – together.

(did you notice the mountains in the background of the photo?)

Closing Jarman’s Gap for the Summer?

Brilliant. I’m no engineer, but I’d wager that they would finish it in a month if they were properly incentivized.

Newsplex reports:

At its regularly scheduled meeting on Wednesday, the Albemarle County Board of Supervisors is expected to endorse a resolution supporting the temporary closure of Jarmans Gap Road (Route 691).

The Virginia Department of Transportation has recommended a complete closure of Jarmans Gap Rd. to traffic for approximately 60 days during the construction project to allow for the installation of a precast box culvert at Powell’s Creek.

The road closure would be coordinated with the summertime public school closing, June through August of 2011. VDOT advises that during the school year, Jarmans Gap Rd. will be reduced to one lane of traffic, as necessary. Complete closure of the road would expedite the installation of the culvert and shorten the overall length of the project.

This could be damaging and isolating to Downtown Crozet. On the other hand, it could provide an opportunity to further develop its own identity.

VDOT’s Dashboard for the Jarman’s Gap project.

Jarman’s Gap Road Set to be Improved

And it might happen in my kids’ lifetimes.

A $13.5 million project to widen a stretch of Jarman’s Gap Road in Crozet will be advertised for construction in January 2011. The right of way phase for this project first began in 1998.

“Given the amount of development that has taken place, the improvements are important for providing adequate access,” said chief planner David Benish in an interview. The project will also add sidewalks and a bike lane, which will make downtown Crozet more accessible.

Tree work on Jarman’s Gap

I’ve fielded a couple of questions over the past few days …

Any idea why they are doing the major tree clear cutting on jarmans rd? Could this be for the widening/sidewalks or dominion clipping to prevent power outages?

And:

Over the past 2 days they have been taking down what appears to be most of the trees on the southern side of Jarmans Gap Road starting from the west end. Is this for the sidewalks? Just curious if you happened to hear anything, sorry if I missed anything about it.

So … what’s going on?

From Jack Kelsey with the County of Albemarle:

The sidewalk will be on the north side of JGR only. Utility relocations are planned for the south side and must be completed before VDOT bid the construction contract. So the tree removal is most likely associated with the utility relocation activities.

And from Howard Tomlinson, Project Manager of VDOT confirms:

Yes the sidewalk is planned only on the northern side of Rte.691 under the UPC 11129 project. Any tree removal at this time will be for utility relocation.

Albemarle County to Announce Pedestrian Safety Grant

From the press release:

Pedestrian safety near Crozet Elementary School will get a major boost thanks to a state grant award that will be announced on Wednesday, May 12, at 1:00 pm at Crozet Elementary School by Board of Supervisors Chairman Ann Mallek, School Board member Barbara Massie Mouly, and Crozet school officials and parents. Details of the grant and the specific improvements it will fund will be outlined at the press conference.

I’m looking forward to seeing how “near” is defined. And “major.”

Either way, walking to Crozet Elementary is a good thing. As is “walkability” for home prices.

VDOT Takes on Old Trail Drive

Thanks to Channel 29: (bolding mine)

A new Albemarle County Board of Supervisor’s resolution calls for a nearly one-mile stretch of Old Trail Drive in Crozet to be accepted into the state road system. Part of it was accepted into the system 2009, so this will complete the process.

“Old Trail Drive, in its entire length from Jarmans Gap Road to the other connection point at Route 250, has always been intended to be a pretty major traffic thoroughfare in Crozet,” she said. “The Crozet master plan presents it that way.”

There have been discussions over the years on RealCrozetVA about the accessibility of Old Trail Drive, and now it’s officially a public road. Great.

Related reading:

VDOT helps builders and citizens adjust to new secondary street standards